2014 Nissan Rogue Bags IIHS’ Top Safety Pick Plus Rating

The 2014 Nissan Rogue has not been in the market for long, but it already boasts a major achievement. The redesigned crossover utility vehicle recently received the highest ranking from one of the major safety organizations in the United States—the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Rogue was named IIHS’ Top Safety Pick Plus.

The 2014 Rogue was awarded the institute’s top safety rating after it scored ‘good’ in all five “Top Safety Pick” categories and acquired the “Top Safety Pick Plus” status with a basic rating for front crash prevention for the models that came with Forward Collision Warning. It is important to note that the Rogues that qualified for the “Top Safety Pick Plus” ranking are only those models with the Premium Package, as these come with added safety technologies.

Getting the highest rating is a feat for Nissan’s Rogue, since the ranking was earned after IIHS revised the criteria and requirements for the “Top Safety Pick Plus” designation. It was only last year when the organization adapted more stringent criteria with which to assess the vehicles.

The IIHS evaluates how well vehicles protect their passengers. In order to qualify for the “Top Safety Pick” award, vehicles must get a ‘good’ rating in moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests as well as ‘good’ or ‘acceptable’ rating in the small overlap frontal test. As for the “Top Safety Pick Plus,” the rating can be had by meeting the “Top Safety Pick” requirements as well as getting a ‘basic,’ ‘advanced’ or ‘superior’ rating for frontal crash prevention.

The 2014 Nissan Rogue is one of the few small SUVs that received the IIHS’ highest rating. It joins other “Top Safety Pick Plus”compact crossovers such as the 2014 Mazda CX-5, the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander, and the 2015 Subaru Forester. Of all four SUVs with forward crash prevention features, the Rogue is the most expensive. According to Automobile Magazine, its price is $30,920, inclusive of destination.

Nissan North America welcomed this achievement. “Nissan has a long-standing commitment to safety and innovation, and this IIHS rating is a very important milestone for the all-new 2014 Rogue,” said Fred Diaz, the senior vice president of Sales & Marketing and Parts & Service.

The 2014 Nissan Rogue proves to be quite a departure from the earlier version of the vehicle, which is still available as the 2014 Nissan Rogue Select. The previous iteration did not get an impressive IIHS rating like its successor. In the roof strength category, the Rogue Select only got an ‘acceptable’ score. Meanwhile, its rating for the small overlap frontal test was ‘marginal,’ which is one of the lowest ratings.

All the redesigned 2014 Rogues have remarkable safety and security features. These include the Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS), with the front air bags complete with seat belt and occupant classification sensors, among others. They also come with a LATCH System (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren). Other great standard features of the Rogue include Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Active Trace Control, Active Engine Braking and Active Ride Control.